Back in June, I received my first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) delivery, or “box”. Every week since then I’ve been making the most out of my CSA bounty.

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA as most call it, is a fantastic way to share in the harvest from local farms. Basically, you help the farmer by buying a harvest subscription. The fee is usually paid up front for a predetermined set of weeks, during which time the farmer shares their harvest with you. It’s a win-win for everyone! The farmer has a ready sale and you receive fresh, local seasonal foods. Most CSAs are fruits and vegetables, but there are also meat, eggs, cheese or honey programs.

It’s been a GREAT experience! Every week I receive fresh, local organic vegetables. Veggies picked either the night before or that morning. Now that’s fresh!! It’s all seasonal produce, so each time I pick up my share it is a little different than the week before. Most of what I’ve received are veggies that we usually enjoy. But there have been some new varieties for us like white cucumbers, orange tomatoes, Swiss chard and watermelon radishes.

How I’ve Gotten The Most Out Of My CSA

Oh I’ve been busy! 😀

I’ll admit, some weeks have been a challenge for me to figure out what to do with all the vegetables. But I always seem to find a way to use them all up in a week.

Each week has included different lettuces. That means more green salads for us. In fact the very first week we received a couple different lettuces and some strawberries. So I threw together a salad with slices of those strawberries, added some chopped pecans and made a quick balsamic vinaigrette. Perfect quick side dish! Later salads have included fresh blueberries and local goat cheese.

Speaking of blueberries, I was also able to purchase some in bulk along with my weekly delivery. I bought 2-10 pound boxes!!! I’m a crazy woman, I know 😉 How’d I make the most out of my CSA that time? I froze most of the berries, so I could enjoy them later in the year. A few quick breads were made for the freezer as well. I also created a couple new blueberry recipes – Nuts & Oats Blueberry Muffins made with whole wheat and wheat germ and Overnight Breakfast Steel Cut Oats.

There’s been kale to put in my morning smoothies. I’ve even tried kohlrabi in a smoothie. But wasn’t a big fan of that, so I stuck to eating them raw as a snack.

We had Zoodles! I created a side dish of spiralized zucchini noodles and fresh tomatoes that was absolutely FANTASTIC!! Watch for more zucchini recipes in the near future.

I’ve been eating a lot of sweet corn, which is always a treat! And we’ve been enjoying sauteed snap peas.

Today I tried my hand at making sauerkraut in mason jars with the head of cabbage I received. This is a new kitchen skill for me. Hopefully it turns out. We love sauerkraut, so if this batch is good I’ll be making lots more.

And tonight I’m making Chicken Alfredo with the fresh organic broccoli I received a few days ago, and another side dish of yummy green beans.

It is absolutely fair to say we’ve been eating a lot healthier. Not just because the veggies are certified organic, but because we’ve been better stocked with fresh goodies. I’ve actually been able to double my daily fruit and vegetable servings! Now I’m getting at least 2 servings of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables almost every single day 🙂

You can’t help but to eat healthier when you receive a CSA delivery!

A delicious vegetarian dinner with zoodles and fish 🙂

What’s Your Favorite Way To Enjoy Fresh Vegetables?

Do you have any vegetable recipes you’d like to share or are looking for? Feel free to reach out to me through the contact form on the right or on my Contact page. I’d be happy to speak with you.

And don’t forget, if you aren’t sure of what you are doing in the kitchen but want to eat healthy, you can sign up for my FREE Cooking Basics how-to-tips! You’ll get an email every week for an entire year. That’s 52 helpful kitchen tips! Everything from how to make the perfect fried egg to different ways to prepare vegetables and how to freeze those fruits & veggies you find at the market 🙂

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Mary’s Kitchen is a new blog post for me – about how I shop my local markets and use those treats to live healthy. You’ve seen my farmers’ market pictures on FaceBook and Instagram; you’ve read the blog posts about what seasonal produce you can find. You even might have tried some of recipes I… Read More

It’s time for July seasonal foods! A new month with more fruits and vegetables in season! That means more fresh deliciousness to pick up at your local market. But instead of talking about their nutritional value… Let’s look at some interesting facts about them! Apricots – One apricot tree can produce fruit for 25 years… Read More

How do I live sustainably? Well before I answer that, let’s talk about what SUSTAINABLE means. According to Webster, it means using a product without permanently destroying or depleting it. It can also mean a lifestyle that uses sustainable methods. Okay…so what are “sustainable methods”? Other words to describe SUSTAINABLE are: Green, Renewable, Liveable, Supportable,… Read More

Share your local market pictures! Let’s show off the beautiful, delicious, healthy, organic, naturally grown fruits and veggies. Show us the free-range, pasture-raised, antibiotic-free, non-GMO, meats and eggs we buy or see at the market. Share pictures of your harvest on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram with #LocalMarketHaul! Most everyone loves to take pictures of their food 😀 It’s… Read More

There is a lot of confusion out there about organic food labels. According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) National Organic Program, Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs,… Read More

To celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, I went to a local farmers’ market. Well actually…I went because I needed some fresh goodies, but what better way to celebrate food made by Nature than at a market?! While I was there, I overheard a conversation between two women – one apparently was a teacher and… Read More

There are many ways to eat local. Many don’t give it much thought. They simply eat what is available, not giving their food origin much thought. For me, it was always just what we did. We ate local. I grew up on a farm. We grew our own vegetables in two LARGE gardens that we kids usually… Read More

Are you as confused as I am about what’s organic and what local foods are? A couple weekends ago we were visiting friends and my girlfriend confessed to me that she is very confused and frustrated about organic foods. “You too?!” If a package comes from a large industrialized farm, is it still as “organic”… Read More